Talking book

ABSTRACT

A teaching device for simultaneously teaching the reading and pronouncing of words is described which includes the combination of a housing having the appearance of a book, a tape player within the housing, a replaceable prerecorded tape and a printed book detachably mounted on the housing, the material printed in the book corresponding to the material recorded on the tape.

United States Patent Paige 1 Feb. 15, 1972 [54] TALKING BOOK 3,273,8949/1966 Clawson ..35/8 A X 72 Inventor: Richard E. Paige, 215 East 68th$1., New gigs; Ymk, 1002 3,553,851 1/1971 Paige [22] Filed: Jan. 11,1971 Primary Examiner-William H. Grieb 1 PP N04 105,529 Attorney-Ryder,McAulay & Hefter Related US. Application Data 57 1 ABSTRACT [63]Continuation/Part of 81 A teaching device for simultaneously teachingthe reading and 1969 31553185 pronouncing of words is described whichincludes the combination of a housing having the appearance of a book, atape [52] US. Cl. ..3a/8 A, 274/ 1 l B player within the housing areplaceable prerecorded tape and [51] Int. Cl ..G09b 5/06, G1 lb 25/06 aim book detachably mounted on the housing, the 0f Search B materialprinted in the book corresponding to the material recorded on the tape.[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Claims, 1 1 DrawingFigures 3,086,297 4/1963 Kantrowitz "35 /35 C PATENTEDFEB 15 m23.641.684

SHEET 1 OF 4 INVENTOR.

Mme/d E. Pa/ge B) Ryder, McAu/ay 8 Hef/er After/lays PATENTEDFEB 15 I972SHEET 2 [1F 4 WONDER/@QWDV IN VE N TOR. R/c/m/c/ E. P0 By Ryder, Mada/0y8 Hefrer Afforneys PATENTEDFEB 15 m2 SHEET 3 OF 4 INVENTOR. R/c/zarc/ EPage By Ryder, McAu/ayfi Hef/er Afro/06y TALKING BOOK This acontinuation-in-part of patent application, Ser. No. 811,148 filed Mar.27, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,851, issued Jan. 12, 1971.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to teaching devices and, moreparticularly, to a teaching device for simultaneously teaching thereading and pronouncing of words.

It is well known that a language can be most easily learned and bestlearned by constant exposure to the language in its spoken form. Themost obvious example of this is the ability of a child to learn hisnative tongue without any formal instruction. Similarly, reading can belearned effectively by looking at the words while they are being read tothe student. This method of learning combines sight word recognitionwith phonetics and proper pronunciation. The method is suitable for useby adults learning a new language as well as by children.

Many devices have been designed in an attempt to utilize these concepts.One example is the combination of a phonograph, a record and a relatedbook (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,086,297 and 3,273,894). Another example ofsuch an attempt is a toylike device in the form of a book which includesa manually operable spring loaded talking device which is operated bypulling a string and, during the spring-operated rewind, a voice isheard speaking approximately one sentence for each pull of the string.

These and other related devices are either too bulky and inconvenientfor easy portability, in contrast to the ease of portability of a book,or they are limited to a single text and are not designed for use with aplurality of replaceable texts and recordings. Also, the voice qualityof many of these devices is poor and not ideal for teaching properenunciation. In some devices, the player for recorded material ismanually operated thus detracting from the users concentration andfreedom to use his hands for other purposes such as taking notes and inaddition to producing sound of inferior fidelity.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide a teachingdevice for the simultaneous teaching of reading and pronunciation, whichdevice is easily portable and may be carried, held and used by a childlike an ordinary book, which provides for interchangeability of recordedand printed textual material and which provides faithful and qualityfidelity.

DESCRIPTION Briefly stated, this invention, in one form, comprises ahousing having a shape, size and appearance of a book, in which ismounted a magnetic tape player adapted to receive a cartridge orcassette having a prerecorded tape. The housing is provided with apocket in the top wall thereof to receive one cover of a book; the booktext corresponding to the matter recorded on the tape. One of the coversof the book may be provided with a container for housing the tapecartridge when on display or not being used.

The combination of the housing in the form of a book, the tape player,the prerecorded cartridge, and the book form an integral portable unitproviding simultaneous corresponding printed and oral textual materialserving as an excellent teaching device for word recognition as well ascorrect pronunciation.

The objectives and advantages of this talking book will be betterappreciated and understood from the detailed description below and fromthe drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a teaching device formed in accordancewith a first embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the teaching device of FIG. 1 shown openand in use,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the teachingdevice of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 includes perspective views of each of the components of theteaching device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a printed book and tapecartridge forming part of the teaching device of this invention,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a teaching device formed in accordancewith a second embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the teaching device of FIG. 6 shownclosed,

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the teachingdevice formed in accordance with a second embodiment of this invention,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the second embodiment,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the printed book shown mounted on asales display rack,

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a teaching device formed in accordancewith a third embodiment of this invention.

housing portion of the FIRST EMBODIMENT (FIGS. 1-5) Referring to thedrawings, and more particularly FIGS. 1 through 4, there is illustrateda teaching device 10 formed in accordance with a first embodiment ofthis invention and having four basic elements, a housing 12, a tapeplayback apparatus l4, tape cartridge or cassette I6 enclosing aprerecorded tape 17 therein, and a book 18.

The housing 12 is formed of a bottom portion 20 having four sidewalls22, 24, 26, 28 and a bottom wall 30. A slot 32 is provided through oneof the sidewalls 24. Three sidewalls, for example walls 22, 24, 26 aredecorated to look like edges of pages of a book and the fourth sidewall28 is decorated to look like a book binding. The housing also includes atop portion 34 having a top wall 35, four sidewalls, only two of which,36, 38, are illustrated in FIG. 3. One of the sidewalls 38 has a slot 40therethrough, the slot 40 corresponding in size and location to the slot32 through the sidewall 24 of the bottom portion 20. The housing furtherincludes a U-shaped sleeve 42 having an outer wall 44 and at least twodepending sidewalls 46, 48. The outer wall 44 of the sleeve 42 and thebottom wall 30 of the bottom portion 20 are decorated to look like thefront and back covers of a book, respectively. Each of the elementsforming the housing, that is the bottom portion 20, the top portion 34,and the sleeve 42 may be formed of molded plastic, wood, heavy paperboard or other suitable material.

The three portions forming the housing 12 fit together in telescopingfashion as may be seen in FIG. 3. More specifically, the top portion 34fits within the bottom portion 20 to lie substantially flush with theupper edge of the sidewalls of the bottom portion. The sleeve 42 slidesbetween the sidewalls of the top portion and the sidewalls of the bottomportion, the sidewalls 46, 48 of the sleeve having a length sufficientto provide a slight clearance 49 between the inner surface 50 of theouter wall 44 and the outer surface 52 of the top wall 35. When thethree portions are assembled to form the housing, the housing has thesize, shape and appearance of a book (see FIG. 4).

An electrically operated magnetic tape player 14 resides within thehousing 12 between the bottom portion 20 and top portion 34. The player14 has a slot 54 corresponding in size and location to the slots 32 and40 through the bottom portion 20 and top portion 34, respectively, ofthe housing 12. The tape player 14 is conventional and commerciallyavailable and is battery powered, although it can be adapted to includea cord for plug-in operation so that a battery can be conserved fortimes when an electricity source is not available. A start" switch islocated within the slot 54 and the player is actuated by insertion of atape cartridge 16. The tape cartridge houses an endless tape 17 whichhas been prerecorded and is ready for playback. The material that isrecorded on the tape corresponds to or, for some purposes, is identicalto the textual material appearing in the book 18. Standard controls 57,such as volume and track selection for a multitrack system, are providedon the top of the tape player and are accessible through the top wall 35of the top portion 34 of the housing. A speaker is mounted immediatelybelow a speaker opening 58 in the top of the player. These locations forthe controls and speaker are preferable; however, other locations, suchas through a sidewall or bottom wall, are satisfactory also.Corresponding to the speaker opening 58 and aligned therewith is anaperture 62 extending through the top wall 35 of the top portion 34.

The printed book 18, best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, includes a cover havinga front page 68 and rear page 70 and a plurality of intermediate pages72 on which are printed textual material corresponding to the textualmaterial recorded on the tape 17. The front cover page 68 has a widthextending from the binding line approximately twice that of the width ofthe rear cover page 70 so that the front cover page can be folded inhalf, forming a primary portion 74 and a secondary portion 76. Anaperture 78 is provided through the primary portion 74 and a plastictransparent container 80 is inserted through the aperture 78. Thecontainer 80 is formed with outwardly extending flanges 82 on the inneredge of the sidewalls thereof which abut against the inside surface ofthe primary portion 74. The flanges 82 prevent the plastic container 80from sliding through the aperture 78; however, to further insure againstthis contingency, the container can be bonded to the inside surface ofthe primary portion 74 by applying glue along the inside surface of theprimary flanges 82. The aperture 78 and container 80 are of a sizeappropriate to house the tape cartridge 16. With the cartridge insertedthrough the aperture from the inside of the primary portion 74, thesecondary portion 76 is folded to lie juxtaposed to the inside surfaceof the primary portion 74 thus closing the container 80 and providing astorage compartment for the cartridge.

When it is desired to use a particular book, the rear cover page 70 isinserted in the clearance 49 between the outer wall 44 of the sleeve 42and the top wall 35 of the top portion 34 (see FIG. 4). Thecorresponding cartridge 16 is removed easily by merely moving thesecondary portion 76 of the front cover page away from the primaryportion 74 thus exposing the cartridge. In this manner the cartridgestorage compartment can be reused as contrasted with conventionalblister packs or other packaging methods wherein the enveloping materialis broken in order to remove the contents. Furthermore, many differentbooks and cartridges can be used with one playback apparatus because thebooks and cartridges are extremely easy to remove and replace.

SECOND EMBODIMENT (FIGS. 69)

The second embodiment of this invention, illustrated in FIGS. 6 through9, is very similar to the first embodiment and includes the basicconcept of providing a unique, integral teaching device which isself-contained, readily portable, and which provides the combination ofsimultaneous oral and visual instruction with the ability to vary thelessons easily at will. The primary difference between the first andsecond embodiment is in the construction of the housing of the device.

The teaching device 100 which forms the second embodiment comprises ahousing 102 having a bottom wall 104, four sidewalls 106, 108, 110, 112and a top wall 114 hingedly attached to one of the sidewalls 106. Thebottom wall, sidewalls and top walls are suitably designed to give theappearance of a book and one of the sidewalls, namely wall 110, isprovided with a slot 1 16 to receive a tape cartridge 16. A pocket 118is formed on the inside surface of the top wall by either attaching aplastic, cloth or paper sheet 120 to the inside surface of the top wall114 along three edges of the sheet or by attaching an envelope to theinside of the top wall 114.

The tape player 14, which is shorter than the housing 102, is placedwithin the housing and retained therein by a tight fitting enclosure 122which fits over the player 14 and within the housing 102. The enclosure122 is provided with a slot 124 corresponding in location to the slot116 in the housing and the slot 54 in the tape player. The enclosure isformed with a stepped configuration providing a compartment 126 toreceive a plurality of cartridges for storage, as is best seen in FIGS.8 and 9. The enclosure 122 is provided with an aperture 127corresponding in location to the speaker opening 58 of the player. Theenclosure also is provided with apertures 128, 130 to receive controlknobs 57 on the player 14 which, in the form illustrated in FIG. 6, arelocated on the top thereof.

The printed book 136 to be used with the second embodiment may beidentical to the book 18 described above. However, since the pocket 118is on the inside of the top wall 114, the front cover page of the bookis inserted in the pocket permitting the book to lie flat on theenclosure (see FIG. 6). The cartridge and plastic container are removedfrom the book cover when it is in use. The container may be stored inthe compartment 126.

THIRD EMBODIMENT (FIG. 1 l

A third embodiment of this invention, illustrated in FIG. 11 is similarto the first two embodiments discussed above. This embodiment provides aconstruction specifically designed for conventional tape cassettes whileretaining the basic concept of a. self-contained, portable, smallteaching device which permits variation of the oral and visual matterwith ease.

The teaching device 200 comprises a book sized and shaped housing 202having a bottom wall 204, four sidewalls 206, 208, 210, 212 and a topwall 214 hingedly attached to one of the sidewalls 206. The bottom wall204 and top wall 214 give the appearance of the back and front covers ofa book. One sidewall 206 gives the appearance of a book binding and theremaining three sidewalls 208, 210, 212 are made to resemble book pages.A pocket may be formed on the inside surface of the top wall 214 toreceive one of the covers of a book 218. The pocket can be formed asdescribed above with respect to the second embodiment and shown in FIGS.6 and 8. Alternatively, instead of a pocket one or more retaining strips216 can be mounted on the inside of the top wall 214 and to receive acover of the book 218.

A conventional battery operated cassette tape player 220 is mountedwithin the housing 202. The tape player 220 can be retained in thehousing by many different means, such as by screws (not shown) throughthe bottom wall of the housing 202. The tape player preferably isshorter in length than the housing to provide room to store one or moretape cassettes 222. The tape player also should extend up from thebottom wall 204 a distance less than the height of the sidewalls 206,208, 210, 212 to enable closing of the top wall 214 while a book 218 isretained thereon and also to permit storage of one or more books withinthe housing. The tape player has a conventional on-off and volumecontrol 224 and a forward and reverse quick wind control 226. If desireda track selector to permit use of multiple track cartridges can beincluded. Access to the tape player 220 in order to change cassettes,adjust volume, wind or rewind the tape and select channels is obtainedby opening the top of the housing 202 as can be seen in FIG. 11. Theability to easily and quickly reverse the tape direction and control thedegree of rewind is particularly favorable for the teaching device ofthis invention since it permits the user to replay a portion of thelesson that he may be finding troublesome.

The printed book 218 used with the teaching device 200 can be identicalto the book 136 described above with respect to the second embodiment.

As can be seen from the drawings and the above discussion this inventionprovides a teaching device in the form of a book which contains a tapeplayer for providing oral instruction and a book for providing visualinstruction, with the visual and oral instruction corresponding to oneanother. The teaching device is inexpensive, easy to operate, convenientto use and is readily portable which makes it highly conducive for useby both children and adults, particularly for study purposes but whichmay also serve as an enjoyable diversion, such as story telling.

Commercially, the detachable story or lesson books make possible anendless library of subjects to be sold and used in conjunction with onetape-playing book. As illustrated in FIG.

10, by providing a hole 138 through the top of the book, a number ofbooks can be displayed on a rack 140 for sales purposes.

While only one printed book design has been described it is envisionedthat other designs may be used. For example, the cartridge or cassettecontainer 80 can be located in the rear cover page so that when usedwith the teaching device 100 illustrated in FIG. 8, the container isreceived in the compartment 126 without the need for removing it fromthe printed book. Furthermore, the printed book and tape cartridge neednot be packaged as a single unit and the cover of the printed book neednot include a container.

1 claim:

1. A teaching device for simultaneously teaching the reading andpronouncing of words, comprising, in combination, a housing having theappearance of a book, the housing including a bottom wall having theappearance of a back cover of a book, three sidewalls having theappearance of edges of book pages, a fourth sidewall having theappearance of a binding and a top wall having the appearance of a frontcover of a book and being hingedly attached to one of the sidewalls,retaining means on this top wall, a magnetic tape player within thehousing, the player being adapted to receive a tape cassette, a tapecassette having a prerecorded tape, a printed book including front andrear cover pages, the printed book being detachably mounted on thehousing by insertion of one of the cover pages in the retaining means,the printed book containing text corresponding to the matter recorded onthe tape, the combination of the housing, player, cassette and printedbook forming an integral, portable unit providing simultaneous,corresponding written and oral textual material.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the tape player includes a cassettereceiving receptacle on a side thereof facing the top wall whereby thetape player is accessible for inserting and removing cassettes therefromby opening the housing through movement of the top wall.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the tape player includes control meanswhich are accessible when the top wall of the housing is moved.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the printed book includes a containerfor storing, displaying and protecting the tape cassette.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein one of the covers of the printed bookincludes a primary portion and a secondary portion, the primary portionbeing hingedly attached to the other of the covers and the secondaryportion being hingedly attached to a free edge of the primary portionand lying contiguous to the inside surface of the primary portion, theprimary portion having an aperture therethrough and a containerprojecting outwardly from the primary portion, the aperture andcontainer having a size approximately the same as the cassette, thecontainer and secondary portion in combination providing a storagecompartment for the cassette.

6. A device as defined in claim 1 where the player has a length lessthan the length of the housing providing for the formation of acompartment for storage of cassettes.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the player has a height lessthan the height of the sidewalls to provide storage space for printedbooks.

1. A teaching device for simultaneously teaching the reading andpronouncing of words, comprising, in combination, a housing having theappearance of a book, the housing including a bottom wall having theappearance of a back cover of a book, three sidewalls having theappearance of edges of book pages, a fourth sidewall having theappearance of a binding and a top wall having the appearance of a frontcover of a book and being hingedly attached to one of the sidewalls,retaining means on this top wall, a magnetic tape player within thehousing, the player being adapted to receive a tape cassette, a tapecassette having a prerecorded tape, a printed book including front andrear cover pages, the printed book being detachably mounted on thehousing by insertion of one of the cover pages in the retaining means,the printed book containing text corresponding to the matter recorded onthe tape, the combination of the housing, player, cassette and printedbook forming an integral, portable unit providing simultaneous,corresponding written and oral textual material.
 2. The device of claim1 wherein the tape player includes a cassette receiving receptacle on aside thereof facing the top wall whereby the tape player is accessiblefor inserting and removing cassettes therefrom by opening the housingthrough movement of the top wall.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein thetape player includes control means which are accessible when the topwall of the housing is moved.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein theprinted book includes a container for storing, displaying and protectingthe tape cassette.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein one of the covers ofthe printed book includes a primary portion and a secondary portion, theprimary portion being hingedly attached to the other of the covers andthe secondary portion being hingedly attached to a free edge of theprimary portion and lying contiguous to the inside surface of theprimary portion, the primary portion having an aperture therethrough anda container projecting outwardly from the primary pOrtion, the apertureand container having a size approximately the same as the cassette, thecontainer and secondary portion in combination providing a storagecompartment for the cassette.
 6. A device as defined in claim 1 wherethe player has a length less than the length of the housing providingfor the formation of a compartment for storage of cassettes.
 7. A deviceas defined in claim 1 wherein the player has a height less than theheight of the sidewalls to provide storage space for printed books.